Any secret to breaking these free? Using a 3/4" 4' breaker bar and to the point I'm afraid its going to snap first. I'm leaving them to soak in penetrating oil.
Nothing is heavily rusted, just old seized together.

 

soak them with a 50/50 mixture of atf and acetone, mine needed a 3/4 breaker bar with about 4' of pipe and jumping on the end of the pipe with my son holding the brakes on. you mite try some heat but be careful if you have used and rust busters

 

I've done that dance before too. It's funny to watch..... (so I have been told....)

Don't use heat, you run the risk of trashing the bearings. 3/4 drive breaker bar, right sized socket, and a long breaker bar are your best bet. Also, be sure you are pushing/stepping DOWN on the breaker bar, pulling up isn't good for you, and you may pull one of my stunts, and give up walking for a few months. (no fun at all.) Also, (another one learned from experience......) make sure that if the nut suddenly breaks loose, your aren't going to beat any portion of your body against something hard...... I was trying to break loose a lug nut.... my socket blew apart instead, and I BEAT my head against the truck hard enough when it did, to knock me cold for a few minutes....... All I remember is, trying to break loose the nut, and then I was laying on the ground, with a few people standing around me, asking if I was all right...... that was just.... strange......

 

Thanks guys. I was afraid to use much heat because of the bearings in behind.


That's part of my breaking free issue, I have little upper strength after crushing a vertebrae and I have big fear of going over when it breaks free.


Times like this I wished I had picked up the 1" impact I meant to get several times.


I hear you on that. It was like being stuck in some dream when I passed out and broke my back.

 

Position your breaker bar so that you can stand on it, support yourself on the hood, so, when it breaks loose, you ALREADY have your hands established for your balance point. Works well.

 

The trick is to support the socket/extension with a jack stand so you don't round off the nut. Then you can stand on your breaker bar/cheater pipe real easy.

Good luck.

 

I used a good quality 3/4" impact after soaking the nut real well with PB Blaster. It popped right off and mine was fairly rusted, as the truck was formerly used with a snow plow. If you are replacing the wheel bearings and U-joint anyway, I'd go ahead and use some heat from a torch if these are particularly stubborn. Good luck!

 

Thanks, I forgot about the jackstand trick.


Let it soak overnight, 5' of pipe and it went snap!!. Thought the swivel on the 3/4" breaker snapped, but it was the nut breaking free.

 

Cool.

 

The worst is when you feel it go snap and then hear the head of the bolt hitting the ground....